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INVOLVEMENT

Even the weakest person can find a way to participate in their favorite sports, but according to some heart specialists only the strongest can survive as spectators. Studies have shown that when a person becomes a spectator rather than participant, things begin to go wrong. A spectator’s body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, and triglycerides go up. At the same time, the things a participant would require such as vital capacity, oxygen, flexibility, stamina, and strength all drop.

In response to these findings, Martin De Haan II finds an interesting parallel within the church. He says remaining an onlooker in the Christian life is just as risky. When a person chooses to remain on the sidelines, criticism, discouragement, disillusionment, and boredom go up, while sensitivity to the needs of others, and receptivity to the Word of God goes down. De Haan says there is a degree of thrill and excitement when someone else explains how the Lord has worked in their life; there is no substitute for building your own experiences of faith, and using your own God-given abilities to serve others.

De Haan adds, “We need to venture out in faith—and that’s risky. But remember, it’s a far greater risk to be only a spectator.”

—Our Daily Bread, December 16, 2002. Spectator Risks, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Hebrews 5:12. NIV “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word not solid food. You need milk not solid food,”